Blog

Bramham  is a yearly run 3* international horse trials based in Leeds, Yorkshire. With it being a short drive from my house I've been going for at least one day for a few years now.  This year due to shifts and money I decided just to go for the XC day and it was fantastic! I arrived about 9am with the intention to take lots of photos and I was doing a Tottie clothing snapchat takeover of the day , which I hope you all enjoyed! Unfortunately it was a very wet morning but nothing a new baseball hat couldn't fix! Im just glad i opted for two plaits instead of straight hair! 

I was devastated when I turned Katrina out as normal one day to watch her spook at something and set off across the field and straight into the fence.  She got caught but somehow scrambled over in her panic only to bolt and do the same on the next fence.  I could only watch in horror as she struggled to get herself free, pulling off a shoe, cutting herself and scrambling to her feet just as I reached her.

Going affiliated, no matter what discipline, can be confusing. Not only are competitions more serious, with more full up and technical courses, but there are also all sorts of new rules and point systems! In showjumping the class names also go from just the height to strange things like British Novice, Discovery, Newcomers and Foxhunter. It can be hard at first to know what classes you want to do and if like me you have a horse who already has points then what classes you're allowed to do. So here are the basics in what you need to know about when affiliating in showjumping!

I’m sure at some point in owning a horse we will all hear the dreaded words from the vet ‘box rest’! However we should try and make to most of the free time from not riding and competing and make our horses comfortable and happy! Here are a few ways to make your horses (and your own) time on box rest a bit more bearable! (These will all depend on the reason your horse is on box rest, speak to your vet for advice if unsure).

Hi everyone! I have some pretty exciting, but also some sad, news to reveal. Unfortunately, in February we had to wave goodbye to my lovely loan gelding Sean, as he went back to live with his owners. He is greatly missed, and he was surely one of a kind. I mean, not every horse gets to star in a Masta video. But with Sean leaving, there was space for a new kid on the block, and the horse hunt began.

We all love the heat, right? The week I am writing this blog I’m pretty sure the temperature hasn’t dropped below 28 degrees! While it is great for us when we want nothing more than to lounge about and top up our tans (or in my case – get more freckles), our horses might not appreciate the sun as much. I’ve been doing a bit of research (and pinterest-ing) to find out the best solutions for our horses and ourselves as riders during the heat!

Name – Puddin

Breed – Bullmastiff

Age – 3

Occupation – Chief bed and sofa tester

This time a year ago I was living 250 miles north, in a city environment, no fears about moving into 6th form. One year later, I'm living in South Devon, a mile from the nearest road, with my horses in my garden. Its safe to say that I didn't go without a fuss, but it was a move that I’m glad I made! Travelling Sprout down was difficult, he doesn't travel well anyway, so a 7 hour lorry journey was not fun for him. I thought I’d share some tips for tricky loaders/travellers this month, in the hope that it helps people.

Hi everyone, my names Tayah and I’m delighted to be apart of Tottie this year as one of their #Select17 girls! I’m 19 years old and am currently based in the South Leicestershire area where I live and work. Horses are a huge part of my life and I have been riding since I was 8 years old, I currently have a beautiful gypsy cob mare called Arabella who I’ve had for the best part of 2 years now. We are mostly just happy hackers but this year we are hoping to get out and about a little bit and try our hand (and hoof) at showing.

This month I thought it would be great to talk about what it’s like been a Tottie select girl and keeping up with writing blog posts and trying to work at the same time. It’s not always easy trying to balance everything and sometimes hours in the day just fly by making it seem like your whole life is whizzing past really fast but I’ve always thought that if you have a passion for something then you have to go for it or else you’ll end up regretting the decision you didn’t make!

Chilli Morning, who now stands at stud here, looks as magnificent as ever and is loving his new life. His neighbour is the stallion Cevin Z who is really settled and thriving on Chilli as a neighbour - stallions don’t always form such a good  bond. Chilli is also a rare example of a stallion who never really nips - to handle and meet him you’d imagine he was a gelding, he’s so calm and affectionate.

On a very wet Wednesday morning last week, I packed Herbie’s overnight bag and we trucked off for an intensive dressage camp at the Moody Headquarters. Herbie and I have qualified for summer regionals in both Elementary and Medium and having had a taste of the winter nationals earlier this year I’d love to qualify for the summers so it was time to up our game! There were six of us on the camp, all competing at different levels so it was really nice to meet some new people and chat about where we’re currently at and what we’re doing to progress.